Rocks depart despite win

Brendan Furlong

Despite their eight-point victory over table-toppers Rathgarogue-Cushinstown, it was still an exit for Tara Rocks when the sides met in their Enniscorthy Farm Systems Junior football championship Group B game in Fr. Murphy Park, Enniscorthy, on Friday.

Once news filtered through of Glynn-Barntown's victory over Castletown, the north Wexford side knew their fate as, despite this fine final game display their season is at an end, while Rathgarogue-Cushinstown march on into the quarter-finals against Shamrocks.

Tara Rocks played with the greater intensity from the start as Brendan Hobbs ruled midfield, while Niall Breen orchestrated the attack.

And but for some wayward finishing they would have enjoyed a more handsome victory, as their opponents failed to raise their game above the mediocre, perhaps as a result of knowing they were already through.

At the end of the opening quarter, the New Ross District side led by 0-3 to 0-2 through points from James Bolger and Nicky Sinnott (two, one free), with Paddy Carton and Brendan Hobbs keeping their opponents in touch.

But with Rhys Owley, Paddy Phelan and Lee Owley all finding the target, Tara Rocks led by 0-6 to 0-4 at the interval.

The standard of play through the second period was mediocre to say the least, particularly after early points from Paddy Phelan, Lee and Rhys Owley and Declan Breen saw the eventual winners stretch into a 0-10 to 0-4 lead by the 41st minute.

The group leaders had to wait until three minutes from the end for their solitary second-half score, a Sinnott pointed free, by which stage the game was long gone from them. It was a disappointing 60 minutes of football with Tara Rocks left regretting the dropping of crucial points in earlier games.